By Andrew Rule, April 8, '25
Welcome back to the Cold Window Newsletter! In this issue: the Beijing literary collective introducing dozens of Chinese writers to the world, and two novelists from Liaoning you should know.
By Emily Jones, March 30, '25
Welcome to the Paper Republic March 2025 newsletter.
In this issue, we tell you about a new regular feature on the Paper Republic website; we have coverage of some special recent events; and we list a selection of free-to-read translations available online. Plus, there’s a shoutout to some prize-winning translators, and a link to a list of all the major prizes in China and their winners. Enjoy!
Contemporary Chinese novels in translation since 1978 : literary voices from the periphery, by Yun Wu (Routledge, 2024) Open Access. Summary:"This book seeks to complement the traditional scope of translation studies, which has primarily centered on translating English into other languages. It presents a comprehensive analysis of the opposite translation trajectory-moving from Chinese literature to the core English literary domain. The book aims to explore the ideological and sociological dynamics that underlie the translation of contemporary Chinese novels. This is achieved through an examination of the translation selection process, translation paratexts, and the roles of translation agents. Case studies are employed to illustrate specific linguistic, literary, and cultural challenges within translation. It dissects the cultural and literary implications of translating genres such as women's writing, Chinese science fiction, and Internet literature. The argument presented is that the translation of peripheral literature is indispensable in shaping global literature. Beyond its literary implications, the book identifies the political significance inherent in such reverse translation endeavors. It suggests that the translation of Chinese literature holds notable political interest for the Chinese government, which aims to reshape China's image and bolster the nation's soft power through literary translation. This work will be an essential read to students and scholars of translation studies, comparative literature, and Chinese studies"-- Provided by publisher
China and the Spy Novel - Mai Jia talks to Angus Phillips
Oxford Literary Festival China Lecture:
Weston Lecture Theatre, Thursday, 3 April 2025, 6:00 pm
"Multi-million selling Chinese spy novelist Mai Jia talks about his books and their screen adaptations."
By Andrew Rule, March 9, '25
Welcome to the first issue of the Cold Window Newsletter to be published on Paper Republic! This is the (extra-long) first installment of a new monthly collaboration that will be appearing in the Paper Republic feed each month. Read on for an introduction to the newsletter; a round-up of 2024’s most acclaimed Chinese short fiction; and profiles of two of China’s best literary suspense novelists.
By Emily Jones, February 5, '25
As we usher in the Year of the Snake, this vibrant and meaningful occasion is the perfect time to celebrate the richness of Chinese culture—and what better way than through the lens of its literature?
This issue brings you a feast of publications and media showcasing the brilliance of Chinese writing in translation. From fresh releases to interviews with translators and other news, we’re thrilled to spotlight stories and voices that resonate with the spirit of this festive season. Whether you’re an avid reader or simply curious about Chinese literature, there’s plenty to explore. So, grab a cup of tea, settle in, and let’s dive into the world of Chinese storytelling together!
Alec Ash, at China Books Review, talks with author Lau Yee-Wa about her debut novel, Tongueless, how Cantonese is disappearing from Hong Kong schools, and what literature can do to raise awareness.
Five books published in China last year, from fiction to memoir, reveal a nation still reeling from the pandemic, and finding a new literary voice in its aftermath. - by Na Zhong, China Books Review, 14 January 2025
"Writing Lives: from China in the 1930s to Britain in the 2020s"
Category: Masterclass & Talk - with Nicky Harman and Yan Ge
Venue: University of Leeds
Date:Saturday 8 March 2025
Free, but must register.
By Jack Hargreaves, December 24, '24
'Tis the end of 2024 (Where it's gone? Don't ask me.) and that means it's time for the annual roll-call of Chinese-language literature published in English translation.
It has been a mixed year, with, on the plus side, there being more women authors published than in 2023, and just more works of fiction in general -- more prizewinning works of fiction, too.
But there does seem to be less poetry. And when I say there are more works by women than there has been, the increase isn't dramatic. In fact, you might say that this year is, on the whole, a return to business as usual after the post-Covid years -- those weren't fallow years, but they were lower yield.
Still, it's a really exciting list of titles which includes some of my favourite reads from 2024, full-stop. I'm also confident that we've missed some works out, especially when it comes to poetry, so please do drop any absent titles in the comments below and we'll make sure to add them. The same goes for any particularly glowing reviews you've come across, or prize announcements (we've mostly included winners, but please also share any shortlisted or longlisted works).
Special mentions go to translators Jennifer Feeley and Lin King for bringing us five showstoppers between them, with Mourning a Breast and Tongueless, and Taiwan Travelogue, Cloud Labour and book two of The Boy From Clearwater, respectively.
I'll mention here that we have always compiled these lists manually, but there is now a campaign to help make it easier to generate lists from existing library databases, so do check that out.
That's all for this year -- we'll call it a plentiful one and reserve the right to change our minds depending on if this slight uptick continues. Personal apologies from me that we’re publishing this too late for the Christmas shopping. But there's always 2025!
"Party luminaries. TV chefs. Poetry. Scandal. Our annual round-up of notable titles on or from China, split across nonfiction and translated literature, nominated by a roster of experts." - The editors of China Books Review.
China Mysteries: Crime Novels from China’s Others
by Jeffrey C. Kinkley (University of Hawaii Press)
Hardback: Dec 2023. ISBN-13: 9780824895204
Paperback: Oct 2024. ISBN-13: 9780824898274
"This work examines more than a hundred China mysteries..."
Hybrid symposium at Lingnan University, Hong Kong and online, 13-14 Dec 2024.
Register here
Programme here
Online event, 11 Nov 2024: organised by the Leeds Centre for New Chinese Writing, in partnership with Sinoist Books, with support from Arts Council England. Three speakers - Fan Wu, John De Lucy and Professor Gregory Lee - will talk about Fan Wu's novel, Souls Left Behind (tr. Honey Watson, published by Sinoist Books) and how it pays tribute to the 140,000 men recruited from China by Allied forces during the First World War.
By Nicky Harman, November 6, '24
The prize, now in its 40th year, is awarded by the Literary Translators’ Association of Canada (LTAC). It is granted annually to a literary translator whose first book-length translation into English or French stands out for its literary merits and precision.
Wang was named the winner of this year’s prize for The Lantern and the Night Moths (Invisible Publishing), translations of selected works of five Chinese poets. She will receive a $1,000 prize and, along with the other two finalists, a one-year membership to LTAC.
In their citation, the jury said “Wang’s renderings eloquently and faithfully convey tone, rhythm and register, yet the translator-poet also walks confidently alongside the original poems and authors, expanding into the possibilities of the target language to better allow the images and evocations in the source texts to draw their English breath.”
By Nicky Harman, November 1, '24
As some of you will know, the newsletter has been going for a couple of years now. Huge thanks to Jack Hargreaves for bringing it out fortnightly at the start. Recently there have been a few gaps, but now we’re back! From now on, we aim to publish our newsletter every two months. We hope you enjoy it.
Please ask your friends to subscribe. As a special bonus, you can win a book, as a prize, if you get a number of friends to subscribe.
Please tell us if you have news you'd like us to include in the newsletter... just drop us an email to news@paper-republic.org.
We’re also delighted to tell you that you can now read the archived copies of our newsletter on the Paper Republic webpage here.
One of our Read Paper Republic pieces in the Home series now features on the Youtube video channel, Translators Aloud: Anne Henochowicz and poet Yu Xinqiao read from “At Night I Rise to Mop the Floor”.
Mother Tongues and Other Tongues - Creating and Translating Sinophone Poetry, edited by Simona Gallo and Martina Codeluppi (Brill - China Studies vol. 53, 2025)
-- Analyzes contemporary translingual Sinophone poetry and discusses its creative processes and translational implications, along with their intersections.
By Helen Wang, September 17, '24
For this year's #WorldKidLitMonth, Global Literature in Libraries (GLLI) is focussing on Taiwan, using the hashtag #TaiwanKidLitMonth.
We're halfway through September, and thanks to Eleanor Duggan, there are already 15 blog posts that are packed with information.
See a list of all 31 posts on Chinese Books for Young Readers click here and on the GLLI website click here
By Nicky Harman, September 16, '24
World Kid Lit month takes place every September. It was started by the dynamic team at World Kid Lit - who have a beautiful new website packed with news about books from around the world, ready-made lists of books, activities and lots more. Help spread the word. Look for and use the hashtag #WorldKidLitMonth!
(this post has been edited)
"On East and Southeast Asian Heritage Month, let's talk about diaspora, and all the people and places we call home. Come join our celebration of new, exciting ESEA novels in the UK, from children’s and YA fiction, to adult fiction — literary, fantasy, speculative, and crime. Panel chats, book signings, and meet ESEA authors.
Venue and support provided by Dr Cristina Martinez-Juan, School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics, SOAS."
The finalists of the Seventh Blancpain-Imaginist Literary Prize 宝珀理想国文学奖will be announced on 13 Sept 2024. This year's theme is Where lies the Originality in Chinese Literature?
-- List of previous winners
Translated into English and published here for the first time, this historical novel tells of the exploits of Ma Yongzhen, a martial artist and gangster who was ruthlessly murdered by rival gangs in 1879. The story takes the reader into the world of the Shanghai gangster and the opium dens, courtesan houses, and teashops they frequented. ... In addition to translating the novel, Paul Bevan has written an illuminating introduction and an essay that vividly describes the city of Shanghai as Ma Yongzhen would have known it.
A New Collection of Writing from China’s Mainland - Granta‘s special issue on the writing of contemporary China collects the mainland’s most thrilling voices. The issue features memoir from Xiao Hai on moving to Shenzhen at fifteen to work in its factories, reportage from Han Zhang, who visits the working-class writers carving out a living in Picun, an essay from Yun Sheng on the rapid rise of virtual relationships, and new fiction from Mo Yan, Yu Hua, Shuang Xuetao, Zhang Yueran, Ban Yu, Jianan Qian, Zou Jingzhi and many more.
By Nicky Harman, September 1, '24
August is Women in Translation Month!
But rather than just bandy depressing numbers around here, we thought we’d start with a reminder of interviews of Chinese women writers, put together by Nicky Harman and Natascha Bruce, in which we explore how Chinese women authors from mainland China see themselves and their status. Our aim in translating and publishing these interviews was to bring the opinions of Chinese women writers on this topic, in all their rich variety and complexity, to English-language readers. Our survey was conducted in 2019-2020, but is still well worth looking at again. Here it is
